David Cass

David Cass is an artist from Stow who works mostly in gouache and uses found  objects e.g. old tabletops, old matchboxes, etc. as the surface he paints on. He also has bottles of seawater from the places he has traveled to which he mixes with his paint, instead of tap water.

When David Cass came in to talk at the college, he spoke about how he would go out to find the surfaces that he paints on, how he goes to flea markets to find objects that no one else has a use for anymore and how he gives those objects a new life as a piece of artwork. I really liked this idea of using objects that needed a new purpose.

Two Seconds (Lauder Moor) 2013
Gouache on two drawer bases

To The Land V (Lauder Moor) 2013
Gouache on trunk lid

I really like these paintings because of the calm but also wild atmosphere created by the brushstrokes Cass has used. I also think the brushstrokes create the idea of movement like the grass is actually moving in the wind.



He also spoke about spending the last year in Spain and the Almeria Alpine-Desert. I found it really interesting because he was talking about making art from a sort of toxic landscape using resin (which is a toxic material).

Spanish — Espejismo: Mirage / Optical Illusion / Wishful Thinking

He also made a video of these pieces of art being made: http://www.davidcass.photography/actions

I think this is a really interesting project and it is a very clever idea and it would be interesting to learn more about this.

For more of his work go to:
http://www.davidcass.co.uk/index/